I visited a Veteran’s War Memorial today. At first, I was profoundly moved by the sacrifice of so many men and women who had proudly served their country and sacrificed so much. There were several of these brave soldiers who had even given their lives for their country.
The memorial itself had a flag on a flagpole in the center of a star. Surrounding the star was a rock garden honoring those who had given their lives and also commemorating the different wars that the United States has engaged in. If the people who had planned the memorial had stopped there, it would have been a beautiful way to honor veterans. However, they didn’t stop there. They continued to surround the memorial with blank rocks to fill in the names of future soldiers who will give their lives in future conflicts and leaving space to commemorating future wars that the United States will engage in.
I felt sorrow in knowing that the people who planned this memorial thought that war is an inevitable part of our history and there is not even a chance that our future could be a peaceful one free of war. Every night, I pray for God’s peace to be in everyone’s hearts. Tonight, I especially pray that the people who created this memorial could know God’s love and peace and could know that God really does make miracles happen and there is always a possibility for a future without war if we could only believe there is.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
